by Tina Leonard
Laura looked at him. “What do you mean?”
“See, this is the part I wasn’t expecting,” he said, realizing all of a sudden what he hadn’t been able to put into words before. “I didn’t expect to find myself caring about your children.”
She seemed to withdraw from him. He knew he had headed into deep water, and there was no going back to shore. “Guess I see why Pop liked them so much. Penny’s adorable and Perrin… I hate it when he cries. He makes me want to comfort him.”
Her face was a blank he couldn’t read.
“It’s okay,” he said, steeling his heart. “I just find myself thinking about them…and even if I wanted to leave, I don’t think I could leave them.”
Laura didn’t know what to say. Perhaps Gabriel was only offering himself in a brotherly capacity. He didn’t act like a man who was interested in her—beyond that initial quick kiss, he hadn’t made a move toward her.
He wouldn’t. Behind that wolf’s coat hid a chivalrous heart. Just like his father, just like his brothers. These men all walked dangerous paths, but they wanted the heart and soul of life: family, friends, community.
They just didn’t want to admit it.
“If you’re offering to take a man’s role in my children’s lives, I wouldn’t turn that down,” Laura said. “Mason spends a lot of time with them, and—”
He took her hand in his. Laura stopped speaking, held herself stiffly. Nothing in her body would relax.
Gently, he pressed her palm to his lips. His eyes were dark and fathomless.
Oh, boy. She was pretty sure he wasn’t thinking uncle now. Her heart beat too hard; her breath went shallow. She couldn’t take her hand away from his warm lips. She couldn’t think. She felt herself falling under Gabriel’s spell, falling faster than she’d ever fallen in her life. There was nothing safe here; this was not a gentle friendship he was offering.
She knew he was waiting for her to speak. A man like him would probably only offer his protection once…and yet, she could not reach into the flames to feel the desire he was offering to ignite.
She lowered her gaze, her pulse racing. After a moment, he put her hand in her lap and rolled down his window. “Ice cream?” he asked, his tone respectful.
“No, thank you.”
“Think I’ll get a limeade.” He pressed the button, placed an order for two and stared out the front window pensively.
“Gabriel, I—”
“You know,” he said, “I’ll always be here for you, no matter what.”
“For a year.”
He nodded.
“Because your father asked you to watch out for me.”
He turned to look at her. “It won’t hurt me to spend time around your children. I know how to observe the boundaries you’ve set.”
It was over, whatever he’d been offering her a moment ago. “Thank you,” she said, her heart jumping too hard.
He nodded, paid for the order when a carhop brought them and handed Laura a drink.
“No problem,” he said. “No problem at all.”
Chapter Eight
Man, he was a sap.
Gabriel decided his life was a runaway train driven by his father. He’d hired his enemy, fallen for the man’s daughter and her kids. He was changing, being changed, and he wasn’t sure he liked it. “If we head back now, we can still grab some of those burgers.”
“So you’re staying in Union Junction?”
“As long as you and I can avoid my father’s manipulation, I can probably survive.”
She nodded. “I need to put Perrin to bed. It was nice of your brothers to invite us over, though.”
Yeah, they’d shanghaied him on that one. “So, back to this Suzy.”
He felt her gaze on him as he drove.
“She’s a nice lady. Rides a lot.”
He grunted. Dane wasn’t usually cut out for nice ladies—that had the sound of commitment and wedding bells tied to it. “What did Pop feel he owed her?”
“I don’t know.” She adjusted her seat belt, then quit fidgeting. “Have you ever considered going over to France to talk to your father?”
“Hell, no. Didn’t talk to him in America, sure as hell aren’t going to cross the world to do it.” Why would he, anyway? They hadn’t had anything to say to each other in years.
“So what was it exactly that happened? Do you mind me asking?”
He did mind, but since it was Laura, he could tolerate the question. “There’s no easy answer, other than we all got tired of being on the rough side of Pop’s tongue.” It had been hard facing constant criticism. None of them had ever lived up to Pop’s ideals. “Pop was a hard taskmaster.”
“I know. It’s how he made his money.”
“I guess. But his way wasn’t my way, nor Dane’s, nor Pete’s and sure as hell not Jack’s.” If there was ever a man who’d had all his ambition for steady living driven out of him, it was Jack. Jack was perfectly suited to rodeo because it was a gamble, a walk on the wild side. Just man pitted against beast and a score that determined the outcome.
In other words, it was pretty much a day-to-day test of survival skills. “Beyond the fact we couldn’t please Pop and we knew he’d never be proud of us, we did something he just couldn’t tolerate. We knew he’d never forgive us, so we left. Unfortunately, when we left, none of us felt good about it, so we sort of drifted apart. Ten years moves a lot faster than you think it might. People say they get busy and they do, but it’s just all noise for the relationships they’re avoiding.”
“Oh, I know how fast time can slip away.”
Damn, he’d sounded like he was preaching. “We were pretty much of a handful for Pop to raise. Chafing against authority and all that.”
She smiled. “As a teacher, I have to ask if you did well in school.”
“None of us did particularly well in regular school. All of us enlisted except Jack, and from there we found our own niches. I’m proud to say that the military put me through four years of college, and then I made top grades.”
“Good for you.”
“Yeah.” He hadn’t had Pop chewing on him to do well, so he’d done it for himself. “So then I served out the rest of my time and now I’m answering the call to family duty.”
“Very honorable.”
“Not really, I guess. Just trying to beat Pop at his own game.”
She laughed. “I don’t think you realize how much he’s mellowed in his old age.”
He grunted.
“And I don’t really believe the reason you’re doing all this is because you’re trying to best your father,” she said, “because that would mean you still care very much about his opinion, and you don’t. Do you?”
Ah, she was being sneaky. He liked that. “Not sure.”
“I know families can be messy. I also believe it’s best to let the past go, if possible. Even if you felt your father was never proud of you, you’re proud of your choices. You’re your own man.”
“You’re a regular mind reader, aren’t you?” He wasn’t sure he liked her picking at his emotions.
“Teachers do some of that,” she said coolly, “but having known your father, I know that he isn’t a man who is truly comfortable with his emotions. Most people aren’t.”
He stopped at the ranch. “I’d better feed you a hamburger before you blow a circuit.”
She smiled and got out of the truck. “Do you feel better now that you’ve cooled off some?”
“Maybe.” He stared down at her, thinking he wasn’t cool at all. He was on a slow boil around Laura.
“Just don’t say you’re not going to stick out the year again, at least not because of me.” She looked up at him with those endless eyes, and he felt his resistance melting. “You’re as easy to get attached to as your father, you know,” she told him.
He didn’t know what to make of that. Or her. He shook his head and followed her around to the back patio.
Ben was enjoying his grandkids. Pete and Da
ne were throwing a Frisbee around, and not too well, either. Gabriel scowled at the makeshift family gathering.
Then he looked at Perrin and Penny and broke out in a grin. They were cute, unafraid of Ben. He wasn’t sure he could ever forgive Ben—the man could have killed him in a drunken stupor—but Laura was right. It would be better for Penny and Perrin if their grandfather was active in their lives.
If Ben was serious about turning his life around.
“I really do appreciate the job,” Ben told him, his eyes shining over the heads of his grandchildren. “Feel like I have a purpose now. Your brothers told me I can start tomorrow.”
“Great,” Gabriel said, his voice stern. “You have to lock your guns in a gun cabinet or get rid of them altogether now that you’ve got grandkids. Even BB guns, air rifles, pellet guns. Hell, even water guns.” He jutted out his chin.
The Frisbee landed on the grass. Pete and Dane stared at him. Laura nodded.
“He’s right, Dad. It’s a good idea.”
Her gaze met Gabriel’s. He knew she understood that he might not ever trust Ben, but she also thought he was trying to be cool about what happened. A man had a right to be ticked about being shot at, didn’t he?
“It was a BB gun and he was far away,” Pete told him. “Not that it couldn’t have harmed you but we’re not talking the need for a bulletproof vest, either, bro.”
“Yeah, well.” He’d been in the military too long to appreciate someone aiming a gun at him. Any kind of accident could happen with toddlers around. “For that matter, we’re locking ours away in the attic. I don’t think that’s too cautious, do you?” He couldn’t stand the thought of Penny and Perrin accidentally getting near a hunting rifle or… His chest constricted, his mouth went dry. Clearly his brothers thought he had gone mental, then they shrugged and went on with their game. Laura watched him, her expression concerned, but with a soft smile on her face. His mind raced, still on Penny and Perrin. There was a pond on the property, knives in the kitchen. The fireplace had sharp corners on it where Perrin could fall and hurt himself. There were two staircases that the children could tumble down. Acres of farmland surrounded them. He scanned the perimeter of the property, thinking that if one of the children wandered away, he wasn’t sure they could find them easily.
He realized he was panicked. He could count on one hand the times he’d been scared in the military, and that was when he’d been in a war zone.
He couldn’t imagine actually being a parent.
“Are you all right, Gabriel?” Laura asked.
He was beginning to wonder.
* * *
DANE WAS WONDERING, TOO, mostly what was eating at Gabriel. He jerked his head at Pete and they slipped inside the house. From the kitchen, they watched Laura and Ben play with the grandkids, and Gabriel hover nearby like an uncertain bear.
“Think he likes her?” Dane asked.
“Pop probably hoped he would.”
They sprawled in the wooden, rounded-back chairs set at six places around the table. “There were four of us, and Pop. Guess we never needed the sixth chair unless we had company.” Dane remembered they all used to toss their coats in the sixth chair, and Pop had gotten so mad.
“If he gets married before his year is up, does that mean he forfeits if he moves away?” Dane was thinking that if Gabriel wasn’t open to getting serious, he was probably crazy. Laura was a beautiful woman. She was sweet. Her kids were great. He didn’t give Pop much credit for anything, but he’d certainly picked a nice family to associate himself with.
“I don’t know.” Pete shook his head. “No one knows but Pop. I wouldn’t say that to Gabriel, though.”
“Oh, hell, no. Although he did consider leaving, briefly.”
Pete laughed. “He hates being boxed in. Even when he was a kid, he hated being told what to do.”
“So do I.” They were all stubborn chips off the block like their dad. “Wonder why Pop never remarried if he was so set on family.”
They sat quietly, listening to Gabriel and Laura calling to Penny as they tried to teach her to throw the Frisbee.
“Dunno. Didn’t he always say marriage was for suckers?” Pete kicked his boots up onto a chair.
“He did.” He’d been pretty bitter when their mom left. Refused to speak of her for years. “So if it’s for suckers, he’ll understand none of us choosing to settle down.”
They heard Perrin’s happy squeal, saw Ben go by the window holding his grandchild.
“Maybe one house can only hold so much bitterness,” Pete said. “I don’t understand why Pop didn’t match me to a bride.”
“Hey!” Dane sat up. “This Suzy girl is not my match!”
Laura came inside the kitchen, smiling when she saw them relaxing at the table. “Too much activity out there for you boys? You’re not used to being around children. They can be overwhelming.”
“I can handle it,” Dane said.
“That’s good.” She got out glasses and a tumbler. “Gabriel says you’re supposed to meet with Suzy Winterstone at some point? She has darling twins.” She filled the pitcher with water and ice.
Dane sat up. “How old?”
“About twelve months old. Why?” She glanced at him curiously.
“Where’s the father?” His mouth felt completely dry. Damn Pop! He could almost feel a trap ensnaring him.
“There isn’t one. Well, not in residence anyway. Suzy had a boyfriend. She thought they were serious, but apparently, he wasn’t. She’s not heard from him since he went back to Australia or wherever he was from. Mr. Morgan hired a couple of nannies to help her and now they’re doing just fine.”
“Nannies?” Dane didn’t really know what a nanny did. Didn’t they just push around big fluffy strollers with oversized wheels?
“Well, she has the money to have help. Definitely having two children at once is challenging. And being alone would be hard. Plus, she had a C-section that had some complications.”
“But if she has money, then she doesn’t need…like, a man or anything.” Dane knew he sounded like he was desperate to run away from the situation, and he was, but he didn’t want to sound completely unchivalrous.
“She has money because of your father’s generosity.”
She took the tray of drinks outside, leaving Dane to stare at Pete.
“Pretty weird hobby Pop had.”
“So was collecting huge acreages. Made him a lot of money, though.” Pete sounded untroubled by that.
“You’re just not worried because you didn’t get a letter of doom.” Dane felt annoyed by that. “Maybe Pop only felt that Gabriel and I were suitable choices for—”
“His schemes. I’d buy that. You guys are the youngest. And the most impressionable.”
Dane shook his head. “I don’t need a woman with two babies. That sounds high maintenance.”
Pete laughed. “So is Pop.”
* * *
LAURA STAYED LATER THAN she’d planned, watching Ben play with her children, feeling like her life was a completed circle now. Wholeness eased her heart. Penny and Perrin would have a father figure to look up to; Ben appeared to have a new lease on life.
She could forget the past. Not Dave, of course. Her heart still burned with sadness when she thought about him. But healing old pain made her feel brighter about everything. It was the start of summer, a great time for new beginnings.
Gabriel made her feel a snap of excitement, too, as much as she didn’t want him to be part of her emotional healing process. With Ben in their lives, the father-figure gap she’d worried about would be alleviated.
She stood. “I have to take the children home and put them to bed. Thank you for a lovely evening.”
Penny tiredly rubbed her eyes; Perrin’s were drifting shut as he lay against Gabriel’s chest. Gabriel and Ben followed her as she picked Penny up and walked her to the car.
“I’ll be by tomorrow,” Ben said eagerly. “We could take the kids for a ride into town. I’
d like to show them off to my buddies.”
Laura smiled. “They’d love that.”
Ben glanced at Gabriel self-consciously, then said, “Thanks for everything, Morgan.”
Gabriel watched as Ben ambled away. “I can’t get used to people calling me that in my father’s house.”
She strapped Penny into her car seat, then took Perrin from Gabriel to do the same. “What did they call you in the service?”
“Morgan. But I hear it here, and I look around for Pop.”
“It took me a few weeks to get used to being Mrs. Adams.”
It was then that the idea hit Gabriel, blooming big in his brain, like facing the worst fear he’d ever had.
Chapter Nine
“Try getting used to Mrs. Morgan,” Gabriel said.
Laura turned around. “What do you mean?”
“It could be your name. For a year, anyway.”
Her heart skipped strangely inside her. She wanted to run and hide in the worst way. “I don’t want a husband.”
“I don’t want a wife in the traditional sense. But it wouldn’t kill me to have some help making this year more bearable, I’ll admit.”
She sank into the seat and closed the car door. “I have to get my kids home.”
He nodded, his eyes dark, his gaze unfathomable, before his attention switched to the kids in the backseat. “They look like they’ve had a full day. I’m glad I got to see them.”
She hesitated, Gabriel’s words just sinking in. “I’m sorry, but did you just propose to me?”
“I am proposing, yes. You can call it a business proposal, a merger or an idea to make my life easier. Whatever you want to call it.”
She shook her head. “You are your father’s son.”
“Laura, I understand that you’re still grieving. Whatever limits you’d want on a partnership between us would be fine by me.”
She felt her fingers tremble. He didn’t understand that she wasn’t that much of a daredevil. Besides the obvious thrill of being married to a man like Gabriel, she wouldn’t be able to count on the snuggling, the gentle companionship that Dave had offered.
“Just think about it for now. The option’s open. Good night, kids.” He reached through the window and touched each child’s hand. “See you tomorrow.”
